SAHARA TOURS MOROCCO

Next morning, we’ll try our hand at being paparazzi, then test out all of our lenses to see which ones really shine. Then into the medina in Marrakech, trying out some composition techniques in Yves St. Laurent’s private garden, then, after a quick bite at a local’s hangout off the Djemaa El-Fna square, we’ll take out first peek at the souq – myriad bazaars lacing the core of this ancient medina.

Here, we’ll capture artisans crafting fine leathers, carpets and jewellery, plus go to a secret underground location to meet the hammam stokers. We’ll round off the day at Café Arabe – drinking chilled sundowners and watch the sun dip down over the Atlas Mountains.

Up early, we climb Morocco’s most dramatic (and highest) pass, the Tizi-n-Tichka along the former caravan route towards Ait Benhaddou, a spectacularly photogenic UNESCO World Heritage Site, location to films such as Lawrence Of Arabia, The Jewel Of The Nile and Gladiator. We’ll shoot inside its kasbah, a fortified village known for its pisé clay architecture – touring the houses of the few remaining residents who still live in its crumbled ruins.

Continuing our journey south, we’ll catch the pink tinges of sunset across the beautiful Oases in the lush Draa Valley, and a glass of something refreshing in M’Hamid, our stop for the night and the end of the road before the Sahara begins. Early next morning, we’ll board our fleet of Land Cruisers and into the desert, bathed in orange hues as far as the eye can see. After a couple of hours journey over some of Morocco’s biggest dunes – and stops to capture this incredible natural beauty – we reach Erg Chigaga Luxury Camp, our palatial home for the next few days.

Fresh from a restful sleep amid the dunes – the team at Erg Chigaga will cater to your every need – starting with a hearty breakfast. This morning, we’ll turn our attention to the next stage of your photography; people pictures. We’ll run through step-by-step professional techniques on how to shoot the best portrait and documentary images.

After lunch, we’ll venture by camel to a nearby nomadic settlement, and photograph travelling desert-dwellers who live and work in this harsh climate – chance to put all the lessons learned into practice. As the sun begins to dip, we’ll have our own private tea ceremony, atop the dunes, shooting Bedouin herders chatting over a charcoal fire, and after setting up our own pop-up ‘dune bar’ – witness the ever-moving spectacle of a desert being transformed from a mass of undulating orange sand into red, then purple then finally jet black. Magical.

This morning, we’ll review yesterday’s images, giving you individual hints and tips to improve your work, before climbing aboard our Land Cruisers once more, hunting in teams for more remote Nomadic encampments close to the Algerian border. As these camps frequently move, our team, communicating by radio, will triangulate travelling communities deep in the desert – giving you a truly unique chance to capture some stunning, rarely seen images of elders, children, parents and living conditions in this unforgiving, remote place.

Lunch will be provided on the fly, as we refine our technique under the watchful eye of your tutor to produce incred- ible images. Later, we’ll dine out under the stars, and review our finest images projected under the night skies, then relax around a blazing bonfire, where Bedouin musicians with goatskin drums and electric guitars will sing you soulful Gnawa ballads to while the evening away.

And for those with energy to spare, the stars are the brightest you will ever see – late late we set off on night safari; a days shooting to remember.

Today we leave the camp, and head North West towards Foum Zguid – a longer route out of the desert, but chock full of photographic opportunities. As we depart the dunes, we’ll indulge ourselves in some black and white desert scapes, continue more portraits with the characters at the Auberge Iriki, plus spend time capturing the majestic rock formations that fringe the desert.

As the sand turns into gravel and then tarmac, we’ll head towards Taznakht, a small town central to carpet production, and shoot Berbers in situ. Returning back to our blissed out haven at Tigmi late afternoon, there’s just time to unwind in the hammam – the antioxidant massage – with argan, camellia seeds, evening primrose and fennel is perfect for ironing out any final creases from our road trip. We’ll also host our second set of 1-on-1’s, chance to discuss your progress and help prepare for your final piece of work over the last couple of days – before indulging ourselves with the chef’s famous moelleux au chocolat and a restful nights snoozing.